Appraisal of authoring softwares at healthcare courses development

Background: Different technologies to develop distance education material provide innovative alternatives in the creation of virtual learning objects. The aim of this paper is to describe the building process of a learning object (LO) in two different platforms, ExeLearning and Articulate Storyline, highlighting the differences between the two approaches and the main features of each.

Summary of Work: The creation processes described in this paper were performed for learning objects development of the Specialization Course in Health Services Evaluation UNASUS / UFCSPA, using two authoring software. Despite being aimed for the same purpose, during the use, both tools demonstrated several differences observed by the production team.

Summary of Results: The classes development in ExeLearning are simple, however the classes produced in this tool tend to be linear and without much interactivity. Meanwhile the building process in Articulate, is not so simple, but offers greater flexibility and creative possibilities, and the objects created in this tool are, in most cases, more visually attractive and more interactive.

Discussion and Conclusions: Articulate proved to be a tool with more resources for creating courses, allowing the creation of activities that enable greater interactivity between the student and the content. On the other hand, it has been shown ExeLearning is limited at the content development and at the creation of an interface with good usability.

Take-home messages: The authoring software used in the development of distance learning courses should be flexible and adaptable to different production methodologies. These features make it easier to design and create engaging lessons and using innovative teaching approaches.